High-dose short-term folate administration modifies ambulatory blood pressure in postmenopausal women. - GreenMedInfo Summary
High-dose short-term folate administration modifies ambulatory blood pressure in postmenopausal women. A placebo-controlled study.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009 Oct;63(10):1266-8. Epub 2009 Jul 15. PMID: 19603054
Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Policlinico di Modena, Modena, Italy. [email protected]
In humans low intake or low levels of folate are related to elevated homocysteine (Hcy) or blood pressure (BP). This study was performed to test whether in healthy postmenopausal women a 3-week administration of folate (5-methyltetrahydrofolate: 5-MTHF) at the dose of 15 mg/day (n=15), was, in comparison to placebo (n=15), capable of modifying 24-h ambulatory BP, along with Hcy and insulin metabolism. Placebo did not modify any parameter. 5-MTHF significantly decreased nocturnal systolic (-4.48+/-1.8 mm Hg; P=0.029), diastolic (-5.33+/-1.3 mm Hg; P=0.001) and mean (-5.10+/-1.1 mm Hg; P=0.005) BP, in a way that was significantly different from that observed during placebo. 5-MTHF also reduced Hcy (11.77+/-1.15 vs 8.71+/-0.50 micromol/l; P=0.03), and insulin resistance, evaluated by HOMA-IR (2.58+/-0.04 vs 2.03+/-0.04; P=0.01). Whether maintained in the long term, 5-MTHF's cardiovascular and metabolic effect may contribute to primary cardiovascular prevention of postmenopausal women.